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The commercial aircraft landscape at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport is set to change with two recent revelations in the aviation industry.
SkyWest Airlines — a third-party airline that handles flights in and out of Aspen on behalf of carriers United, American and Delta — has announced the arrival of 27 Embraer E-175s by the end of the year and the impending retirement of CRJ-700s. Currently, CRJ-700s are used exclusively by the airlines serving the Aspen market.
It was recently revealed by United that SkyWest intends to fly at least one E-175 to Aspen later this year, though likely more. United confirmed its intention to fly the 70-seat aircraft this winter. The E-175 has a 93-foot, 11-inch wingspan, which fits the current 95-foot wingspan restriction at ASE, the three-letter identifier for the local airport. The 70-seat CRJ-700 has a 76-foot, 3-inch wingspan.
The change was first reported by Ishrion Aviation on X, formerly Twitter.
“Pending FAA certification, United Express flights into Aspen are expected to start transitioning to the Embraer E-175, operated by SkyWest, this winter,” said Russell Carlton, a corporate communications manager for United Airlines, in an email. “These 70-seat aircraft will offer travelers twice the number of both First Class and Economy Plus seats and more storage for roll-aboard bags.”
By 2026, SkyWest will have an E-175 fleet of 278 aircraft, making it the largest Embraer operator in the world, according to the call.
While it’s not clear how many of those aircraft will replace the CRJ-700s flying into Aspen, Bill Tomcich — principal of aviation consulting firm Tomcich Travel and a consultant to the local stakeholder group Fly Aspen Snowmass — said Aspen will see a phasing out of the CRJ-700s by at least United.
“There’s a high possibility,” he said.
In their second-quarter earnings call on July 25, Skywest announced a slew of transitions for its CRJ-700 fleet. SkyWest has stated before that it has a number of E-175 orders set to be delivered over the next several years.
SkyWest flies 19 CRJ-700s for United, Tomcich said. SkyWest said it is awaiting 21 E-175s that are on order through the end of 2026, 19 of which are for United.
“With each of the new 19 E-175s we received and financed for United, a CRJ-700 contract expires simultaneously,” Wade Steel, chief commercial officer for SkyWest, said on the earnings call. “By the time these contracts conclude, the debt on the 19 CRJ-700s will be fully paid.”
SkyWest intends to convert 19 expiring CRJ-700s into CRJ-550s in 2024, with one already flying for Delta since July. The carrier will transition the aircraft from its American Airlines fleet to Delta.
CRJ-550s are a reconfiguration of the CRJ-700 as a smaller, 50-seat aircraft. They usually serve smaller markets than Aspen, Tomcich said.
Contracts for approximately 25 additional CRJ-700s will expire in July. Steel said the company is working to secure new flying agreements for the planes.
Tomcich said that because CRJ-700s are out of production, airlines hold onto out-of-contract aircraft in maintenance facilities for parts while awaiting flying agreements.
Steel said on the call that SkyWest already has over 70 parked CRJs awaiting either a return to commercial service or contractor short-term flying. Maintenance for these aircraft is getting more expensive, with the company anticipating a $40 million increase in costs during the second half of 2024.
“We are seeing labor and parts challenges as the flying is coming back very quickly,” Steel said.